Title: Soft switching and soft starting of TCHB converter-based dual active bridge converter by using SPS and EPS control techniques

Authors: Amit Kumar; Abdul Hamid Bhat; Pramod Agarwal

Addresses: Department of Electrical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India ' Department of Electrical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India ' Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract: Renewable energy has significant potential for future electric networks, and direct current (DC) technology offers a viable solution to address related challenges. Efficient DC-DC converters are essential for achieving high voltage step-up ratios. This work presents a novel bidirectional soft-switching DC-DC converter that integrates a two-level converter on the low-voltage side and a transistor-clamped h-bridge (TCHB) multilevel converter on the high-voltage side. A phase-shift control method is employed to manage bi-directional power flow in a resonant converter operating at higher frequencies. The proposed method ensures soft-switching for all power devices across the entire power spectrum, enabling smooth transitions between power directions. Current stress measurements indicate significant reductions: from 19 A to 2 A in single-phase shift (SPS) and from 16 A to 1.6 A in extended phase shift (EPS). The performance of the same converter is validated through MATLAB/Simulink simulations and real-time experiments using an OPAL-RT simulator, demonstrating improved efficiency and reduced switching stress.

Keywords: dual active bridge; DAB; extended phase shift; EPS; single phase shift; SPS; soft switching and soft starting; state of charge; transistor clamped h-bridge inverter.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPELEC.2025.147343

International Journal of Power Electronics, 2025 Vol.21 No.4, pp.367 - 397

Received: 14 Jun 2024
Accepted: 05 Jan 2025
Published online: 14 Jul 2025 *

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